After almost six months away, the Formula 3 cars finally took to the Bahrain International Circuit to test, alongside Formula 2. We take a closer look at potential ones to watch in F3 2022. 

Although as motorsport fans we are constantly reminded to never read too much into the times of testing, we can look at some of the key drivers to watch out for this season.

After an exceptional performance in GB3, Ayrton Simmons will continue with Charouz this year. In the final round of F3 last year, Simmons replaced Hunter Yeany. He showed many signs of promise throughout those two races at the end of the season. Also, paired with Charouz who improved massively throughout last season, the team will be hoping to progress further, with the help of Simmons. 

Simmons will be joining us to help review race weekends throughout this season. Welcome to the Insidef2 team!

Top finishing rookie last year, Victor Martins had a stand out season in 2021 with MP Motorsport. This year he will compete with fellow French outlet, ART Grand Prix. He was one of 12 winners but was one of the more consistent drivers of the campaign. 

Martins also made a reputation for himself through his ability to pull off some impressive overtakes throughout his time in F3, and his championship winning year of Formula Renault.

Grégoire Saucy could be looking to replicate the season of Oscar Piastri. Saucy won the Formula Regional Championship by Alpine in 2021, the same level that Piastri won before his F3 win. He won the series convincingly, after dominating the first half of the season. If Saucy can continue his momentum from the FRECA season, he will undoubtedly be a contender for this year’s title.

Arthur Leclerc had a rocky campaign with PREMA last year but displayed multiple, impressive recovery drives throughout the course of the year. Team Principal, Rene Rosin, admitted that the previous format with three races per weekend, last year was ‘challenging’. Consistency will be a factor that Leclerc will be wanting to improve this year after showing his core pace in the 2021 season.

Alpine academy driver, Caio Collet, remains with MP Motorsport for a second consecutive year. Similar to Martins, Collet managed to prove himself as a brave driver when it comes to overtaking and showed multiple times last year that he has the talent that it takes to win a championship. As one of three drivers who are remaining with the same team as last year, he will certainly have the advantage of stability and consistency.  

Following a strong rookie season last year with Hitech, Jak Crawford joins PREMA this year. He is many people’s favourite to win the championship this year as he has presented himself to be a promising driver with a lot of potential. As a part of the Red Bull driver academy, Crawford will be wishful to put in a great performance this year.

For Formula 2 fans, Juan Manuel Correa will be continuing his run at ART for a second year in a row with the team. 2021 was his first year returning to motorsport after his devastating crash and he did himself proud by putting in a brilliant performance, despite still recovering from his injuries. 

The motorsport community knows very well that Correa is capable of achieving a lot of success, and would wish him the best on his journey climbing the racing ladder.

Overall, there are many drivers to watch out for this season in Formula 3. This is extremely exciting for fans of the sport as they are the future of F2 and potentially F1, and that future is very bright!

*Image credit: Motorsport Images